Christians, who should I believe?

Question

I can come up with 1,000 different questions about Christainity and receive a variety of different, contrasting, and opposing answers from Christians on each of the 1,000 questions. So far, I have asked a few hundred, and this has proven to be true. Considering the 100% accuracy rate, I will safely assume the pattern will remain consistent.

With all of these answers, some as opposite as yes/no, how can I possibly tell which ones are correct and which ones are false?
Are you not all hearing from the same God?

Before you start with the bit about seeing if the answer goes along with what the bible says, please assume that all questions that can be answered with scripture-based information are done so equally.

So if you are all hearing from the same God, why is he giving opposing answers?

If some of you are hearing from God and others are mistaken, how do I know who is right and who is wrong?

Opinionated, thanks for the advice. FYI, I have 6 bibles and read the entire bible cover to cover. Proverbs, since you mentioned it, I have read at least 25 times. Are you open to suggested reading?

John, I have read this "truth" for myself, both versions in fact. Both have displayed multiple contradictions. Again, I am at a stand still.

jimmeisnerjr, what exactly are you smoking and where can I get some? (joking)
"Based on your previous questions, the best way for me to voted your best answer is for me to agree with you."
Isn't that the way it usually works? Actually, I pick best answer based on what I think the best answer is, whether or not I agree. Very often, I leave it up to a vote.
"How sad your life must be, that you come here to attack people you don't know, simply because they think differently than you do."
How sad your life must be that you make these kinds of assumptions about people without asking them first. I am here to learn and to share knowledge.
"Why do you ask questions when you don't care about the answers?"
I do care about the answers. Just because you dislike the question or the answer I pick best doesn't mean I don't care.

jimmeisnerjr, (cont.)
"Someone sometime did you wrong, and all of your anger makes you a very unhappy person."
Everyone has been done wrong by others. I am not the type to let it eat me up inside. I learn how to deal with my emotions and then I move on. Because of this, I am happy and content. My happiness and security allow me the ability to freely question all aspects of life without concern of receiving answers I may not like.
"If you really didn't care, you'd be off doing something else. The fact that you're here shows how angry you are."
Okay, so first you say I don't care and questioned why I asked if I didn't care. Now you say I do care and claim that if I didn't care I would be off doing something else. Please explain the logic in your reasoning. The fact that you are here shows how fluffy you are. That makes about as much sense as your claim. If you truly represent Christianity, you have by this answer alone, provided me with reason to question even more.

DH, after reading the page on the first link and easily concluding it to be a load of crap, I decline to read further. The author is claiming that Christians should not answer people who question their beliefs because the questioners do not deserve answers. He then claims that they do not deserve answers because even though they may be more studied and logical than the Christian they are asking, they are still not a master of every field necessary (according to his own opinion) to fully understand the bible. Why then should ANYONE believe unless they have mastered all required arts and 5 magics too (just incase)? He goes on to say that citing sources is unnecessary. This only goes to show his blatant disregard proving credibility on a scholarly level. This article does nothign to prove a point other than he would fail any college course if he applied this rationality to his work. It is enough however to impress ignorant people who want to agree with him. Wow! Big words and sarcasm.

jimmeisnerjr, I do get angry & do lash out sometimes and in some ways. While you see this as an entirely negative thing, I see it as being very theraputic. It is nothing to do with reacting to being hurt in my past. I am actually very proud of my past because it led me to where I am now. My religious beliefs involve reacting to stupidity whichever way I see most fitting. Viewing my actions as a temper tantrum (which is what you are implying) is only deluding yourself & casuing you to believe things about me that simply are untrue. You COULD ask, but would rather assume. What does that say about you? In addition, your assumptions about my appearance, wording, and reactions lead you to a position where you can excuse yourself for not taking me seriously. I find it to be pathetic, but I care very little because let's face it: the internet is not serious business. I am here to learn, but it makes you feel better to pretend I am here to pick on people because of past hurt. That's fear-based

Answer 1

What do you hear when you ask Him?

Answer 2

The problem with asking human interpretations of Scripture is that you will get as many answers as there are people you ask.
Also, most Christian denominations get their doctrines from human interpretation of Scriptures, sometimes from just a single line of text taken out of context. "2Pe 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. "
In order to understand God's Will on certain subjects, you should study the Bible with the aid of the Holy Spirit only. If you sincerely pray and ask for His help and guidance, He will guide you into all Truth. Do not rely on Yahoo! Answers for the answers.
You should get a good concordance like Strong's. Whenever you want to see what the Bible has to say about a certain subject, look that subject or key words up in the concordance, and it will tell you where to look it up in the Bible. When you have read ALL that the Bible has to say on that subject, the answer will become clear.
For example, if I wanted to find out which day of the week is the REAL day of worship sanctified by God, I could search and search through the Bible and I wouldn't find a single line of verse sanctifying Sunday worship. However, I would find several references to the 7th-Day Sabbath, both in the Old and New testaments, referring to it as the only day of worship sanctified by God. After discovering this, I no longer go to church on Sunday, but I became a 7th-Day Adventist. Especially after learning the history of Sunday worship and where it came from, and how it has become so entrenched in modern Christianity, it reinforced my belief.
So, my advice is, don't be led astray by a single confusing line of text. Keep searching the Bible, and you will find the Truth.

Answer 3

I can ask 1,000 questions to any peoples, and get 1,000 different answers. There is a lot of different "doctrines" within different church's, like Calvinism and Arminianism. Does that mean one or the other is incorrect? No. The Bible is very difficult to "master", yet easy enough to read and understand its purpose. Take into the account of different languages (like Hebrew for Old Testament, and Greek for the New. Modern English has one word for love, the ancient Greek language has (I believe) 7. So, context can breed different doctrines.

Now to a true Christian, does all this matter? No. If you are a true Christian, then Christ is really all you need. (of course finding a good church doesn't hurt either). But just like any other group of people, weather it be democrat, Christian, Mormon, republican or atheist, your going to get a lot of answers to the same question within that same group.

So if your just picking on Christians, please support your argument better. If you are truly curios about things, study them, talk to many different Bible Scholars (yes there are many different ones, simply because of how everyone interprets things).

God Bless

Answer 4

Of course you will receive varying opinions on this question as well. Here are a few thoughts.

We learn about absolute truths by being taught by the Spirit. These truths are “independent” in their spiritual sphere and are to be discovered spiritually, though they may be confirmed by experience and intellect. The great prophet Jacob said that “the Spirit speaketh the truth. … Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be.” (Jacob 4:13.) We need to be taught in order to understand life and who we really are.

Any intelligent man may learn what he wants to learn. He may acquire knowledge in any field, though it requires much thought and effort. It takes more than a decade to get a high school diploma; it takes an additional four years for most people to get a college degree; it takes nearly a quarter-century to become a great physician. Why, oh, why do people think they can fathom the most complex spiritual depths without the necessary experimental and laboratory work accompanied by compliance with the laws that govern it? Absurd it is, but you will frequently find popular personalities, who seem never to have lived a single law of God, discoursing in interviews on religion. How ridiculous for such persons to attempt to outline for the world a way of life!

Paul, on his way to Damascus, saw a glorious personage and heard his voice; and yet, after even these unusual manifestations, Paul prayed so that he could know beyond the shadow of doubt of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and of his Father, and of his eternal program, the gospel. He finally knew it so positively that he gave the balance of his life teaching it.

Answer 5

The wisdom of humans is like the foolishness of God. That's how far removed we are mentally from Him. And because we are all at different levels of maturity, we understand Him differently. Ask any long time Christian if he has the exact same beliefs he did several years ago. If that person has grown at all, he'll say, "No." We don't hear a different God and God doesn't change what He's saying. We grow.

Answer 6

Based on your previous questions, the best way for me to be voted your best answer is for me to agree with you.

How sad your life must be, that you come here to attack people you don't know, simply because they think differently than you do.

Why do you ask questions when you don't care about the answers?

Someone sometime did you wrong, and all of your anger makes you a very unhappy person.

If you really didn't care, you'd be off doing something else. The fact that you're here shows how angry you are.

I'm praying for you, brother.

Godspeed.

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Your response:

I do care about the answers. Just because you dislike the question or the answer I pick best doesn't mean I don't care.
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Let me rephrase that . . . you don't care about a thoughtful exchange of ideas or beliefs. In the way you form your questions, you attack the beliefs of people with whom you disagree, and then you select as the best answer the responses with which you agree.

From your screen name to the wording of your questions, you don't approach this message board with an open mind. You approach it with anger -- so much so that you argue with people who DO give you thoughtful caring answers.

You ask "how do I know who is right and who is wrong?"

You already know . . . you're right, and Bible-believing people are fools -- that's the message in your questions, and the responses you give, and the answers you select.

Which leads back to my point . . . someone hurt you at some point to make you so angry, that you're lashing out here.

There's nothing wrong with being angry with God -- - there is in taking it out on people who are sincere and loving in their beliefs and their responses to your angry questions.

People you don't know, people who can see past your angry questions and mocking responses -- these people love you, because you are a child of God.

Who is right? The people who respond to a God of love, and who can love someone who is so angry that he lashes out at strangers.

Come on here, lash out, mock simple people for their simple beliefs, and know that you are loved.

Answer 7

Each must walk out his/her own Salvation. God might speak to one individual something completely different about the same Bible chapter and verse. that is why we are individually different. If God wanted us to all be the exact same, dress the same, act the exact same, think the exact same... then He wouldn't have given each one of us different passions, dreams, goals, ect. It isn't about what everyone else thinks about your relationshp with your God. It matters about what is between you and God, is there a relationship there at all? is it a pleasing one? is it a good, healthy relationship? It is a personal issue... ect. Yes, God can use man to speak through, but if you are getting different answers from different believers, than I suggest going to God personally. God will reveal to you exactly what you are looking for.

Answer 8

The way I see it is like that : which one do you think does the right thing? The ones that worship some statues, the ones that wear special underwear, or the one that tries to understand God through the Bible and prayer?

Answer 9

Because it is a badly-written, self-contradicting fairy tale about an idealized Bronze Age protojewish tribal chieftain. You would get more consistent answers out of Trekkies than christians, and the Trekkies are probably less delusional.

Answer 10

Plenty of disagreements within Christianity. Biblical truths concerning the critical issues with regards to salvation are very consistent. The Bible is my reference when there is doubt. And where there are different opinions concerning God's Word, I pray about it. I also argue with believers, converse and seek out various opinions from believers as well.

But you're not really interested, are you?

Answer 11

The only way you are going to get the correct and true answer is to read the bible for yourself a New International Version bible or a New King James is preferable.

Read the truth for yourself.